Outcry From Fans & Supporters in Response to Facebook Acquisition of Oculus

Facebook’s announcement yesterday regarding their acquisition of Oculus VR Technologies has made some waves with a lot of the early adopters and fans of the company, with several investors and pre-orders backing out including some higher profile people like Minecraft Creator Markus Persson.

Shortly after the announcement Persson took the not so subtle approach of announcing his change of heart via twitter, writing “We were in talks about maybe bringing a version of Minecraft to Oculus. I just cancelled that deal. Facebook creeps me out.” Persson went on to write a more complete blog post on the subject, with no hard feelings regarding the acquisition as he understands it’s simply business, but as a result he’s chosen to cut ties based on Facebook’s past as a platform.

Persson is not alone in his sentiment, as Facebooks $2 billion purchase of the VR technology has angered or disenfranchised a great number of fans. Interest in the group started via kickstarter with a heavy emphasis on the Rift’s applications as a gaming device and interface tool, and while Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg has not stated any plans to change the development team’s goals and strategies, he has been vocal regarding his hopes for the technology’s applications in social media. Everything regarding the future of Oculus is at this point speculation, but it’s safe to say that much of that speculation has become negative, or at least many are worried that the device will no longer be heading in the direction it once was. Make sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments, how this acquisition will shape the Oculus Rift’s future, and whether or not it will end up still accomplishing it’s original vision.

Source: Forbes